Eonism

   
Eonism is the pretence by a man, of being a woman; transvestism.

Cynosure

   
A cynosure is a center of attemntion; something that strongly attracts attention and admiration.

Fizgig

   
A fizgig is an obsolete term for a flighty or frivolous girl. It also meant a spinning top or a firework.

Malkin

   
The word malkin has had a number of different meanings in the past.

It meant a slattern, an untidy woman.
It was also a scarecrow.
It was used for a hare or a cat.
And it also meant a mop of rags tied to a stick.

The related word grimalkin meant an old female cat or an ill-tempered old woman.

Green fingers

   
To have green fingers means to have a special ability to make plants grow; a seemingly natural gardening ability.

A Fesnying of Ferrets

   
Whole books have been written about collective nouns for animals. Many of them are words commonly used but some are more unusual.

Among these are:-

A fesnying of ferrets (which also be a busyness of ferrets)
A bob of seals (also plum, pod, rookery, team)
A badling of Ducks (also paddling, team (in the air), flock, plump, sord (on land), sute (on water).
A cete of badgers
A dole of doves (also flight, flock)
An exaltation of larks (also bevy)
A gam of whales (also pod, school)
A husk of hares (also down)
An ostentation of peafowl (also muster, pride)
A nye of pheasants (also nide, bevy)
A rout of wolves (also pack)
A shrewdness of apes
A sedge of herons (also siege)
A singular of boars (also sounder)

Do you have a favourite collective noun?

Marimba

   
The marimba is a large scale musical instrument in the percussion family. Keys or thin, wide bars (usually made of wood) are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. A foot pedal to controls resonators below. It produces a sound much mellower and more sustained than that of the xylophone.

Paradigm

   
A paradigm (pronounced PAIR-uh-dime)is an example serving as a model or pattern; a set of all forms which contain a common element; or a general agreement of belief of how the world works - what could be called `common sense'.

Photovoltaic

   
Photovoltaic systems are those which generate electricity directly using natural sunlight. A solar cell is therefore a device that converts the energy of sunlight directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.

Sloth

   
Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work; laziness. It is one of the Seven Capital Sins (from the Catechism) also known as the seven deadly sins and one of the Five Hindrances in Buddhism.